Metal Plates and Hooked Hands
by OldWorldWriter
Summary: Robert and Tinker Sawyer were both Vietnam soldiers, serving in the heat of war, in which they became closer than blood. And after they are left damaged, they find love in the Hippie generation. Summary might suck, but story will be better.
1. Chapter 1

It was the year 1970 and the Vietnam War was in full swing, people were coming in while their fallen comrades were being sent home in body bags. Fresh off the airplane, 20 fresh recruits stepped off, each filled with fear and excitement at the prospect of fighting against the VC and winning the almost lost war. After they were squared off towards the barracks, a spry slim soldier dressed in the green fatigues and scratching at his head of blonde hair walked to his bed and set his pack on it. One of the soldiers came up to him and introduced himself, "Hey, I'm Rick, fresh meat huh?" 

The soldier turned around and smirked, his face causing Rick to grimace slightly at the sight of the large red birthmark that was part of the soldier's face, looking at Rick and nodded, "Hiya, I'm Robert and yeah, fresh meat, which sounds really good right about now."

"You a Texan?"  
>"How could you tell?" Robert smiled, knowing full well his accent was both rigid and annoying at times. Rick looked at him and said, "Oh I had an idea, so what part of the Longhorn state are you from?"<p>

"A small shithole of a town called 'Newt', it's near Ft. Worth."

Rick nodded, he then said, "Well if you need anything, I'm here for ya, battle-buddies and all."  
>"Thanks Rick, so how long have you been in Nam?"<p>

"Nine months and let me tell you how much it blows," Rick groaned, "So you got any family out this way?"

Before Robert could answer, a bellowing voice came from the entrance, "Bobby Sawyer!"  
>Robert looked over and immediately ran to the big soldier who was covered in grease and smiled, "Hey Tinker!"<p>

Tinker "Tech" Sawyer was the damn best mechanic that Vietnam had ever seen, his two hands could fix and supe up anything on wheels or weapons. He was tall and muscular, quite imposing to his cousin, Robert. Tinker laughed and hugged his cousin, it had been almost a year since they'd seen each other last. He looked him over after the hug, "You don't look too bad, Bobby, they treat you good in Benning?"

Robert shrugged, "Ah yeah, they didn't serve good meat, but what do they know about meat?"

Tinker laughed again, his bellowing laugh could fill up the whole barracks, he shook his head and replied, "I bet the Old Man was pretty ansy about you getting drafted, especially after Nubbins got his dishonorable in basic. What did he say when you told him."  
>Robert put on an grumped face and said in a heated Texas accent, "'You bitch hawg, why don't you do something real instead of joining that rip-off!'"<p>

They both laughed and Tinker looked over to see his crew returning to work. He patted Robert on the head and nodded, "Well I'll see you later Bobby, I gotta go back to work. Remember keep your head down and shut the fuck up."

Robert laughed again and waved him off. Robert had originally had second thoughts when he got on the plane to Nam, but now that Tinker in his camp, he would be happy and knew that this was going to be an easy tour. He walked back to his bunk and collapsed on it, he needed some sleep for sure, so that's what he did.


	2. Trying New Things

The days in Vietnam weren't very eventful for Robert, it was mostly marching and learning about the terrain and brush. There was hardly ever any firefights, even though the horrowing tales told by the guys in his platoon led him to believe otherwise. Besides the spooky stories of fights long ago, Nam wasn't any different than Texas. There was still beer and barbecue all over the place.

Yet there was also this bizarre smell that came around the barracks every night, it made Robert lightheaded and at times, sick. So one day, after coming in from the bush, he saw a group of men outside having a smoke. He hadn't had a cig in a while and knew he would be better off without an addictive substance in his body, but then again, why not kill yourself slowly? Walking up to one of the guys, he said, "Got an extra cig?"  
>"Ain't got any cigs," the soldier inhaled the stick in his hand, causing Robert to look at him with narrow eyes. The soldier looked at him, "Ever had weed?"<p>

"Weed? What the fuck is weed?"

"Here," the soldier handed Robert the stick and said, "Suck on this and fly away."

Robert, always one for new things, stuck it in his mouth and inhaled. At first he gagged and choked, second time, he inhaled deeper and held it in. It grew cooler and he exhaled, slightly out of breath, but also...his senses seemed to be slowing. Everything around him seemed to be out of lines and text. Even the guys around him were laughing and watching him. Robert looked at them, "What the hell is this?"  
>"Weed. Marijuana, ain't you ever smoked before Texas?"<p>

Robert shaked his head, his body felt relaxed and smooth like it did when he got drunk, only he wasn't drunk. He smiled at them, "I think I'm gonna go get a beer. Mind if I keep this?"  
>"Feel free, welcome to Nam."<p>

Robert stumbled forwards, smoking on his joint, spotting Tinker exiting his barracks. He tumbled towards his cousin, "Hey Tink."

"Hey Bobby," Tinker looked at him, then gasped slightly, "Bobby, what the hell is wrong with you? You pissed yourself, boy."

"I did," he hadn't even felt it, not to mention feeling much of anything downstairs, "Guess I need a wash?"

"Lemme see that," Tinker took the joint and got a toke off it, "Mmm, that's some good shit. They don't have this shit back in Newt."

"That's for damn sure!"

Tinker laughed and Robert laughed, in fact, they laughed so hard people walked by them and wondered the fuck they were laughing at. Tinker looked at Robert and said, "Hey, let's find somewhere quiet, I don't like this part of the war, it's noisy as a cow in heat," causing both of them to laugh harder and stumble off towards the jungle.

Robert plopped down on the ground and took a hit from the joint while Tinker got on one knee and tried to keep balance. He laughed his bellowing laugh and said, "So, tell me, how's Granpa?"

"He's good last I heard, still just sitting around, Grandma's good too. She's looking prettier every day."

"Glad to hear, how was Drayton?" Tinker hadn't seen the family in years. Robert took another deep toke and said, "He's a pain the fucking ass. Best part of the draft meant I could get away from him. Just wish Nubbins and Bubba could have come with me."

Tinker shook his head, "Bobby, you know Bubba wouldn't last out here, boy's too stupid."

"Yeah," Robert replied, his voice soft, "I know. But he is my little brother and I love him."

Tinker lifted Robert's face up to look at his, his fingers gently touching Robert's chin. He then said, "I love you couz."

Robert, slightly unsure what Tinker was trying to say, nodded and looked away, "Yeah, I love you too, is that the captain calling me? I think I need to go. Here, finish this," Robert replied, handing Tinker the last bit of weed and stumbled off towards camp. Tinker sat in his spot and finished the weed, his heart had been set on Robert for a long time. He just wanted to know if Robert felt the same way about him?


	3. Memory Lane and Napalm

The sun beat down hard on the soldiers as they fought both sweat, mosquitoes, and every sudden sound. The lieutenant, a red-faced man with good teeth and an even better stock portfolio, looked at the men and said, "Okay boys, listen up, we'll be marching in from the east and our intel says this area is swarming with Charlie, be on your guard and don't pause to think when the bullets start flying."

Robert looked around, his rifle in his jittery hands, the effects of his morning toke were beginning to wear off. He crept slowly, his boots making crunch sounds as he stepped on the wet leaves and grass that was Vietnam. He choked back a sob as he heard the lieutenant speak about bullets and Charlies. He looked at one of the guys and said, "Soho, what's going on?"  
>"What do you think, Texas?"<br>"Just," Robert shook his head, "Nothing. Just nothing."

The Lieutenant called for a halt and break, everyone sat and ate their meals, as Robert swatted skeeters and tried to eat the crap they were given. He looked around, hoping to see anything, but unfortunately, there was nothing but brush, forest, and tiny mosquitoes. He sighed, wondering back to Texas in his mind.

"Bobby," Nubbins yelled at him from upstairs, "Get up here bro!"  
>"Coming, I'm coming, God shut up already."<p>

"You boys better not make a mess, God damn it," Drayton yelled up at them, groaning as he rubbed his lower back. It was hurting him again and he needed to rest, but he wouldn't rest until dinner was ready. Nubbins was upstairs, skinning another varmint he'd found around the dirt roads. Robert came up to him, "What the hell'd you want, boy?" 

"L-Look at him, nice and spry, I love em spry!"

Robert shook his head, his brother was a chip on the same block, just like him. They were twins, but Robert always felt older than Nubbins. Suddenly, a huge shadow came over the doorway, Nubbins looked over at the figure, "Leatherface! Want to play?"  
>"Yeah Bubba, you like wearing skins, want to wear this one?"<br>Leatherface looked at his brothers and made squeaks in agreement. Nubbins and Robert laughed as they finished skinning the opossum and threw it's carcass to the corner as Nubbins used his razor and punctured two large holes in the pelt. "There, you'll be able to see through it now," he said, as Robert and he took he pelt and tied it around Bubba's face.

Robert and Nubbins laughed as they patted Leatherface on the back, suddenly, Drayton's voice cracked hard at them, "You damn fools! I been down there cooking all day and you little mangy monkeys are up here horsing around! Don't make me take the switch to both your backsides!," he continued to yell at them, lifting a stick in the air and hitting them with it in very fast whips, causing them to get up and run down the stairs. Drayton continued to chase them until he hit Robert in the ear with the stick, sending him to trip and fumble into Nubbins as they ran into the door. Drayton stood over them, whipping and pummeling them both with the stick.

-  
>Robert opened his eyes to see one of his men slapping him, "Wake the fuck up!"<br>A grenade had gone off, sending the lieutenant's body into the air, and pieces to rain down. Robert screamed as bullets started pelting the trees around them. Soho looked at Robert, "Texas! We gotta get out of he-," a bullet ripped through his throat and sent him flying backwards. Robert lifted his rifle, firing blindly into the bushes as he got up and started running with the rest of the men. He saw one of the radio men laying dead, he grabbed the radio and called into it, "Eastern front, requesting heavy napalm, Charlies everywhere, the lieutenant's dead!"

"Roger, napalm bound for eastern sector, be advised to get as far away as possible."  
>'No Shit' Robert thought as he ran back the way they had originally came. He saw the men resting, "Get the fuck up! We're about to NAPE THIS MOTHERFUCKER!"<p>

The men, already tired, quickly got up and started humping back to the baseline. Robert ran harder, hearing the sound of overhead jets flying in closer. He screamed hard and ran faster, finally they came to the river they had crossed earlier, "Jump you sonsofbitches!"

The men jumped into the water as the napalm struck the aread behind them, sending explosions and setting large amounts of forest aflame. The sound of screaming, burning, and gunshots filled the air. Robert stood up, his clothes soaked, and looked at the men, "Time to get back to the base. If we're lucky, we'll get back in one piece." 

The men, unsure of what to do, followed him until they made it back to the base. Once there, Robert walked to a private area and lit a joint he'd hidden under part of the window. Inhaling the drug, he held it inside of his lungs as long as possible, and released the foul odor into the air. He couldn't believe what had just happened and part of him really didn't want to. This was war...and he'd just proven that he knew how to play. Of the many thoughts that went through his head, only one really stood out, "Let's see Cook firebomb an entire Vietnam jungle."


End file.
